Auditor Yost, others call for medical marijuana probe

Wednesday

Dec 6, 2017 at 5:53 PMDec 6, 2017 at 5:53 PM

Randy Ludlow The Columbus Dispatch @RandyLudlow

Ohio Auditor Dave Yost has joined the calls for the suspension of already-granted state licenses to larger medical marijuana growers so authorities can investigate whether the hiring of a drug dealer to score the applications affected the award of licenses.

“This is an epic failure. I am outraged,” Yost said while calling for the Ohio Department of Commerce to promptly investigate the matter, perhaps by calling in Inspector General Randall J. Meyer.

“The only proper course of action is to freeze the process, and independently review the evaluation and scoring from the ground up. And the administration needs to explain how this drug dealer ended up telling the government how to run its fledgling medical marijuana program," he said.

The controversy arose Tuesday when a company that failed to win a state license to grow medical marijuana criticized the state for hiring Trevor C. Bozeman, a man with a felony drug conviction, to help score the applications.

The two-term Republican Yost, who is running for attorney general, said his staff is gathering information about those hired to review applications and whether any "hiring errors impacted the grading of the license applications." But, the matter deserves attention in a more-rapid fashion than his office can deliver, he said.

“We can't wait for a rear-view mirror audit. The commerce department needs to act today before this train leaves the station."

In a statement, Department of Commerce spokeswoman Stephanie Gostomski said on Wednesday: "This was a careful, fair process which we fully and extensively explained in advance and are glad to do again to anyone with questions or concerns." She said previously that Bozeman and his firm met requirements to receive the state contract and its scoring appeared to be done professionally.

Yost said the medical marijuana program needs to resolve questions and proceed in a timely manner because "we have kids out there with epilepsy looking for relief."

Yost's attorney general opponent, Democrat Steve Dettelbach, also called for a investigation, tweeting: "A convicted drug dealer was paid to help set up medical marijuana in Ohio! Did they think it was 'relevant experience?!' This needs to be thoroughly investigated."

Some gubernatorial candidates and state lawmakers also have called for an investigation.

Jimmy Gould, chairman of CannAscend Ohio, the rejected would-be cultivator, called the conviction of Bozeman, whose firm received a $150,000 contract to score the applications of would-be medical marijuana cultivators, to the attention of reporters on Tuesday.

Applicants to grow medical marijuana were required to undergo criminal background checks. But the state's request for proposals, which led to contracts for Bozeman and two other scorers, did not make it a requirement to pass a criminal check for those scorers, records show.

Court records verified by The Dispatch show that Bozeman was convicted of manufacturing, delivering and possessing drugs, with intent to manufacture or deliver, in Middleburg, Pennsylvania in 2005. The records do not provide details of the offense.

The records also show misdemeanor charges of use and possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use, which were dismissed. Bozeman, now 33 and of Brunswick, Maine, paid $2,131 in fines and costs and successfully completed three years of probation. Bozeman has not responded to requests for comment.

CannAscend's bid to win a medical-marijuana cultivation contract for a Wilmington facility was rejected after it scored poorly in evaluations and failed to meet requirements, Gostomski said. Gould has criticized the process and threatened legal action.

The state recently awarded licenses for both small and large medical-marijuana grow operations. Medical marijuana is expected to be available legally in Ohio in about a year.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow

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